Traffic has picked up in the last couple of weeks. I have seen probably 3 different adult males, an immature male, and at least 1 or 2 females. One was even a left leg banded male RT.

In past years I have hosted over winter an immature female Rufous who has returned two more winters. I know this as she was banded in 2010. I had an immature male Rufous spend the winter and I am in hopes he will return this one. I have had several other male/female immature Rufous come through on their way south. They stay a few days to a week then leave. Lots of Ruby-throated come through and I have had some stay the winter. My first year (2010), I had 3 that were around all the time. Joe has as many as a dozen or more at times and he has the record with the Allens in 2010 and he had a Calliope a few years before that.

I wish it were so that we could get some of the summer birds banded so we know if they are the same ones that are in the winter. We are lucky here to have Fred come band in Jan. as we have several in a short distance who have birds and we are near to Steve who hosts the site you mentioned. We have one gal here in Lakeland who has had birds continously for the last two years. She generally has a female, even in the breeding months.

Hope you continue to have good luck with your birds. They are so amazing.

Even though I am new to this forum I have been following it for a few months now. I live in a small condominum complex on the ground floor in Largo which is in Pinellas county in west central Florida. I've lived here for about two and a half years now and decided this past spring to plant a few flowers to give our place some color. Originally I wasn't gardening for hummingbirds, but after talking to one of my neighbors that has been here for some years told me that a few years ago when the bottlebrush tree just off my porch (my complex is full of mature bottlebrushes) bloomed really well in the spring, she witnessed what she said must have been fifty Hummers around it I knew I was switching to gardening for Hummers! Since then I have been doing research and planting flowers to attract the little Hummers! So far I have added both purple and white bleeding hearts, coral honeysuckle, red and yellow shrimp plants, red and yellow mandavillas, an allamanda, bat faced cuphea, red, white and black and blue salvia, Mexican petunias, Brazilian candy corn vine, Chilean glory vine and some red impatients. In addition to that I've hung three feeders out, two commercial and one home made. To date I have not noticed a Hummer around :( My garden is fairly new and from the research that I have done may take a few years before I do see a Hummer. But alas I will continue to add hummingbird attracting plant and continue to change out sugar water till one appears. I just have to be patient. :)

Yes, and I'm installing another feeder for my friend, Diana who took these pictures about 2 days after I installed one for her. The location is Miami, S.W. 117th ave. and Sunset Dr. (S.W. 72nd st).

Hi Becky, which is the better nectar, store bought (red stuff) or the home made sugar solution?

I was able to see the hummingbird in Land O' Lakes, Sunday, 3/3/1/2013 at 8:20 am while watering my veggie patch. I had hung the hummingbird feeders with the store bought nectar, last week. But after seeing me, if flew to a bottle brush tree near by and was there for about 20 seconds.

In the evening, I went and bough a new hummingbird feeder and filled it up with the same store bought nectar. At about 6:10 pm, while hanging, I saw the same ruby throated hummingbird, hovering and before I could realize that it was a hummingbird, it flew away!! And while hanging some petunia and fuchsia baskets, I saw it coming back and shying away after seeing me. I hid behind the patio door and after about a minute, it came back and sipped nectar from my hummingbird feeders and flew away. It was there for less than 20 seconds.

Today, 4/1/2013 at 8:10 am, he came back for his breakfast and stayed at the feeders for about 20 seconds. I prepared the 1:4 sugar water solution, cleaned and refilled the old feeders. I've mexican sage, salvia, penta, petunia and fuchsia plants around the feeders. I've not seen this little fella feeding on any of the flowers. Haven't seen the guy return for his other meals yet.

How many times a day do they usually return to the feeders? How can we ensure that they stay longer at the feeders?

Well, the male RTH came back today 4/1/2013 at 6:20 pm and sipped the home made nectar for less than 10 seconds and flew away. Not sure he was scared away by my little ones trying to open the window blinds to catch a glimpse of this little fella from the window... or my home made sugar solution :( I waited till 7 pm and he didn't come back to have his full meal.

I have lived in West Palm Beach in the same house for over 20 yrs and so far I have not seen any hummingbirds maybe it was because I was working but the week ends? I have flower plants like Plumerias, Hibiscus and other without any luck, I even tried putting a feeder filled with products for them which I purchased at Home Depot, any recommendations by those who resides in this area and have seen Hummingbirds?

I have been gardening since April 2013. We had a Ruby Hummingbird come check out one of my red feeders and ever since I have been planning and gardening for them. Yesterday I had another come to my backyard...it was only interested in the firespike. I have planted several firebush, salvia, and allamanda, but so far they only like the firespike. I have not put a feeder out in some time(too much cleaning for me), but I've had a little hummer come twice in the last 2 weeks for the firespike. I am located in Winter Garden, FL. Will I continue to see this hummer or will he head South soon.

It has been over a year since my last post so I will post an update. SUCCESS! I am happy to report that all the hard work has paid off! I've had three RTH's vist my garden since the last posting! Two males and a female, the males came in March. They were both migrants and only stayed for a couple days. Both of them showed up on tail ends of cold fronts, feeding only from my feeders. The female showed up around the end of May and stayed until the end of August. She would feed only from my flowers, she would look at my feeders but would not feed from them. She wouldn't stick around all day either, rather she would come and feed and then fly off somewhere else. There was a point where she wasn't seen for two to three weeks. I assume she was sitting on a nest? The flowers she seemed to favor was coral honeysuckle, black and blue salvia, batfaced and matchless cuphea. Was a little sad to see her go for the winter. But I'm hoping I can get some winter birds to spend some time with me this winter....we'll have to wait and see!

This post was edited by TroyinLargo on Mon, Oct 28, 13 at 13:48

Male Ruby throat at my feeder!

Male Ruby throat at my feeder!

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Picture my wife took this September at my parents house in the north Georgia mountians. My parents have had hummers for five years now, my mom won't put the feeders out until she sees them in the spring. The little hummers go to the exact spot where the feeders hung the year before, that's how she knows it's time to put the feeders out.

This year my hummers seem to have favoured the flowers over the feeders but I still kept some feeders up and they did get some use.

Suggestions on ways to keep raccoons from my feeders? At first I thought I had a bear (I have all kinds of wildlife) but caught the raccoon in the act.

Spring has sprung here in west central Florida and so have the hummingbirds! The little girl that spent last summer with me returned 4-1-14. She was witnessed feeding from her favorite flowers and has yet to be seen since. Hoping she is sitting on a nest since it is that time of year. She wasn't spotted last year until the middle of May, so she may show back up then. But a couple days ago in the afternoon I was sitting on my porch going through my phone and happen to look at the feeder and there was a male hovering feeding from it! I hope he decides to stick around for a while, but I think he may be a migrating bird. Will have to wait and see!